England U21's Player Ratings: at Wales

In the end it was a comfortable victory for Gareth Southgate's men, who now sit 9 points clear of their qualifying group, having played 8 games. It means barring a miracle, England will automatically qualify for the next stage in their qualifying campaign.

Jack Butland - Stoke City (7)

It was a quiet night in the most part for Jack. Although he came and missed a punch which led to Wales first goal, he also made some excellent saves when needed to. Including a tip around the post in the first half at full stretch, and stopping a 1-on-1 to preserve England's lead. His kicking was decent in very difficult conditions and he should be happy with a decent nights work.

Carl Jenkinson - Arsenal (7)

Assured at the back and always willing to get forward at every opportunity. Wasn't always on the same level as Thomas Ince down the right hand side, but you could tell that Jenkinson had plenty of Premier League experience. Showed a lot of pace, good final ball ability and was rarely troubled by anything coming down the left.

Luke Garbutt - Everton (9)

Luke had a much quieter second half than he did a first, but I thought he was truly excellent. I believe tonight was his first cap for the U21's although he has played a significant amount for other England sides. He was exceptional going forward, we saw him force a full-stretch save out of the Welsh keeper, and he had an inch perfect cross that Lingard should have scored from. He was rarely troubled at the back, showing a lot of composure. Also had a great understanding with Nathan Redmond.

Liam Moore - Leicester City (8)

Another player making his first cap, you can't really fault Moore for too much. He was caught for pace once which allowed the Welsh to get a 1-on-1 situation, however anything in the air, he won comfortably. He also looked composed, looked to play the ball out of defense and was rarely troubled by anything Wales had to throw at him. An assured start to what I imagine will be a fruitful U21 career.

Michael Keane - Manchester United (7)

Keane gets a seven for the same reason Jenkinson did. Wasn't asked to do a lot, but what he did do he did well. It was a quiet night for Keane but he looked to quickly develop a relationship and understanding with Moore. Very solid.

James Ward-Prowse - Southampton (5)

I'm a big Ward-Prowse fan but I don't think even his biggest fan can say this was his best game. He looked a little sluggish, lost a step on his man who scored from the corner and had a terrible foul that he got booked for. He'll continue to improve, However without having a great deal of pace, he'll need to read the game better than he did tonight to compensate. A very good player, who just had a bit of an off night.

Nathaniel Chalobah - Chelsea (7)

A very solid night for the Chelsea man. He controlled a lot of the ball in midfield and did the job he's paid to do. He broke up play and then played it forward to the more creative players on the team. You can't complain about that, as that was probably the game-plan for him from the start. Solid!

Thomas Ince - Blackpool (6)

The commentators were raving about Ince, but I don't think he did a great deal to distinguish himself in this game. He doesn't have electric pace, and every time he got the ball, he always looked to come back onto the left foot. Never looked comfortable going on the outside to his right, so he wasn't that hard to defend against. Had a shot or two, but nothing sensational.

Jesse Lingard - Manchester United (8)

Very impressive night for Lingard despite a slow start. He had a triple effort saved in the first half, however he really started to pull the strings around the 60th minute. Playing just behind the strikers he had little intricate balls that led to a good Berahino chance and he also switched play for Redmond's second. I thought he looked very promising and that number 10 role is definitely the one for him.

Danny Ings - Burnley (5)

It's been a hard season for Ings and it really showed. He looked willing but exhausted from the start. His touch let him down, he didn't really seem to have any understanding with his team mates and it was generally a night to forget for him. He was substituted after 56 minutes. I'm not going to be too hard on him as he's just had a gruelling championship season.

TLR Star Man - Nathan Redmond - Norwich (10)

Redmond was so good in the first half down the left hand side for England, Wales substituted their right back at half time. He scored three, and probably could have had a couple more. He took his first very neatly beating the keeper at his near post, and the other two he lashed in from the edge of the area. He also put a couple of chances on a plate for Lingard and he tortured the defense all night. When he picks up the ball and runs at you, there is little you can do but just try and get anything on the ball or bring him down. As a Norwich fan, I loved this performance and hope to see plenty more of them next season.

Substitutions

Saido Berahino - 6

Came on for Ings and had a couple of chances because of nice movement, but not much.

Jake Forster-Caskey - 6

Didn't have much time to impress, but glad to get his début I'm sure.